But for the Texas Longhorns, who are generally regarded as the biggest, most important player in the expansion furor, the future is surprisingly simple. Now that president William Powers and athletic director DeLoss Dodds have played their hand and shown a willingness to do whatever it takes to ensure that UT retains its status as one of the richest and most successful programs in the country, the next step is surprisingly simple.

All UT has to do is wait.

For now, the Longhorns are sure to be part of the Big 12 for the next two seasons. After that, the options are numerous, but they’re also clear. Here’s a look at what it would take for each one to unfold:

Staying put: This remains the Longhorns’ first choice. Over the past decade, UT built loads of championships and the nation’s wealthiest departments while playing in the Big 12, and Powers and Dodds believe that can continue in their current league. The Big 12’s television deal isn’t as lucrative as conferences such as the Big Ten, but UT will continue to receive the biggest share of those revenues, and the Longhorns will also be free to develop their own cable network.

So how can UT stay in the Big 12? That’s basically up to two teams — Notre Dame and Nebraska. It has been reported by Orangebloods.com this week that if the Big Ten can convince Notre Dame to join its league, it would end its expansion plans at one team. That would snap the hopes of Nebraska and Missouri of leaving for the Big Ten, and for all intents and purposes ensure that the Big 12 remains as is.

Even if Notre Dame doesn’t join the Big Ten, Nebraska can keep the Big 12 together simply by committing to stay in the league. The Cornhuskers have been given a deadline by the rest of the Big 12 to make a decision about their future, and if they elect to stay put, the league will survive. (Missouri is also considering a defection to the Big Ten, but the rest of the Big 12 is willing to forge on without the Tigers, possibly replacing them with a school such as Arkansas or TCU).

But if Nebraska can’t give the Big 12 any assurances about staying in the conference, that brings other options into play, most notably:

The Pac-10: Without Nebraska in the Big 12, six schools — UT, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and either Baylor or Colorado — have a perfect escape plan. They are the programs being targeted by Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott, who has been given the go-ahead by his league’s presidents to pursue expansion.

In this scenario, the six Big 12 schools would join Arizona and Arizona State in one division, while the other eight members of the Pac-10 would form another. Scott could then form an attractive TV network that would rival the Big Ten’s, and the six Big 12 schools would retain plenty of regional rivalries.

There are plenty of issues that could complicate the deal — among them, Texas legislators’ reported insistence that Baylor be included instead of Colorado — but an expanded Pac-10 clearly looks like the likeliest destination for the Longhorns if the Big 12 falls apart.

The Big Ten, the SEC, and independence: Every conference in America would love to add the Longhorns, and last week it was reported that members of the Big Ten have at least had discussions about adding UT. But because of geography and the problems associated with breaking apart from rivals A&M, Tech and Oklahoma, the Big Ten is not as an attractive of an option as the Pac-10.

The SEC also has been mentioned as a possibility, but that conference isn’t as motivated to expand as the Big Ten and Pac-10. On top of that, the Longhorns think they fit better in those other leagues.

Earlier this year, Dodds mentioned the idea of independence, but that still looks like a last resort. Even if the Longhorns went solo in football and formed their own TV network, they still would need a conference affiliation for the other sports.